Forever With You
by eonsofmemories
Summary: Some bonds are never meant to be broken... LAYA. AU. OOC.
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! So this is my first full-length Laya/Lucaya story. I'm new to the fandom, so I can only hope you guys like it! The plot for this story came to me in a dream, and so here I am! For those on twitter wondering about the big laya project, yes this is it! Special thanks to Cindy for the encouragement, means a lot!**

**So, I should warn you the updates might not be so regular since I have other pending stories as well...maybe once a week**

**Would you still be interested in reading this?**

**Secondly, this story relates in no way to the show. It's AU, OOC.**

**This is a short prologue...shall continue if you would like me to :)**

**So please do leave a comment if you want me to continueee!**

**Also...the little girl below is Maya.**

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><p><span>Forever with You: <span>Some Bonds are Never Made to be Broken

**Prologue**

_New York, 1999_

_"Are you ready to go in, butterfly?"_

_The little girl glanced at the glass doors in front of her. She was clad in a white lace dress that her mother had been saving for her to wear on this day. It was after all, the day they had been waiting for. Her tiny fingers played with the white hair band that held back her long curtain of blonde hair. Her curious eyes scanned the darkness beyond the doors for the magic her mother had told her about. But she saw none. It was only darkness. Darkness scared her. _

_She clutched her mother's blue dress and edged closer to her. Her mother always made her feel safe. She knew no one would hurt her as long as her mother was with her. Her mother was her friend, her family, her world. _

_Her mother laughed and said, "Are you scared of the darkness? Don't worry. It's only darkness if you look at it. When you step inside, you can weave your own magic. And there won't be darkness anymore. You like magic, don't you?" _

_The little girl looked up into the eyes of her mother and nodded, a faint smile creeping into her face. Her mother offered her a hand and the little girl placed her tiny fingers into it._

_Together, they opened the glass doors and stepped into the darkness. _

_Her mother bent down to face the little girl and said, "Now close your eyes and repeat your magic spell."_

_The little girl closed her eyes shut and repeated the little spell her mother had taught her. The little spell that had the power to make everything right. _

_When she opened her eyes again, the store wasn't enveloped in darkness anymore. It was now bathed in a warm yellow glow that made the little girl smile. She loved yellow. It was her favourite colour._

_"Do you like it?" Her mother asked her._

_She nodded and smiled at her mother._

_"Now you can wave your magic wand and bring this shop to life. What do you see at the corner there, butterfly?" Her mother asked._

_"Shelves! Yellow ones. And butterflies painted on the wall over there." She pointed excitedly at the wall facing her._

_"Go on." Her mother kneeled down beside her, a distant look in her smiling eyes._

_"The walls will have to be white. Then we can paint lots of things on it!"_

_"And what about the tables and chairs for people to sit on?"_

_"Over there." She pointed at the corner near the glass windows that looked over the street. "They have to be wooden chairs and the table cloth will be white and yellow."_

_The little girl skipped around the little shop, pointing out things to her mother that existed only in her imagination. She splattered imaginary colour through her fingers as they brushed along the bare walls. With the swish of her hands, she built the imaginary glass display units, the coffee area, the plush sofas at one corner and then finally a tiny little bell above the glass doors._

_And then, she looked up at her mother, her face flushed with excitement and said, "Do you like it?"_

_Her mother smiled and said, "I love it."_

_Excitement flooded through the little girl. She stretched her arms out and twirled all around the empty shop, her white lace dress spreading brightness wherever she went. This was to be their caf! Their own little caf that they had been dreaming of. Her mother said, one day when she was gone, it would all be hers. But the little girl didn't want the caf to herself, she had said. Not if her mother wasn't there._

_Her mother had laughed and replied then, that one day she will have her own prince charming and then she would forget her mother._

_The little girl had scrunched up her nose and said that no, no one could ever replace her._


	2. Chapter 1: The Bell

**_Present day _**

(MAYA POV)

"Why are you doing this, Maya?"

"Riley, I've already made the decision."

I sigh and close the cash register. I flinch as I hear its sound echo across the empty caf. I glance around my mother's caf, at the empty wooden chairs neatly arranged around the round tables covered with yellow and white patterned tablecloth. Memories of that first day in the empty caf comes back to me, hitting me like the cold winter wind. I remember my mother's heart-warming smile as she had held the keys to the caf for the first time. I can still hear my laughter echoing in the darkness that surrounds me, as I had explored the caf for the first time.

I feel the scrutinizing gaze of Riley on me as I slip into the past.

I close my eyes, trying to block out the memories and say, "I can't take it anymore, Riley. It isn't the same anymore. She isn't here anymore."

My mother's laugh still rings in my ears. I can still hear her sweet voice which is now fading with time. It scares me, losing the only thing I have left of her. Her memories. I want her back. I want her to make me feel secure and loved. I glance towards the door of the caf, almost expecting her to burst through the doors, a big smile on her face, ordering me to open up the kitchen door behind me.

The door suddenly bursts open, bringing in strong gusts of the howling wind into the caf. The tablecloths flutter in the wind, struggling to escape out into the open. Riley hurries to close the door and I hear the faint jingle of the tiny bell that hangs above the door.

The bell.

My knees give way and I settle down on my seat behind the cash counter.

Memories haunt me. Memories of that day he stepped into my life.

And my life changed forever.

_**New York 1999**_

_"What do you think, butterfly?" _

_My mother lifts me on to the smooth wooden edge of the cash counter. The caf looks just the way I had imagined it. The round tables are covered with crisp yellow and white patterned tablecloths, the wooden chairs set around them, their freshly polished surfaces gleaming in the sunlight that streams into the shop. We even placed small white vases on each table, complete with a little yellow daisy in each of them. I glance at the wall behind my mother and smile at the little yellow butterflies we painted on the walls, a few days before. They almost seem real, as if they will pop out of the walls and fly around the caf with me. _

_I put my arms around my mother and say, "It looks like my dream, mommy."_

_She smiles and brushes her nose against mine; something she always does when she is happy. I touch her cheeks and giggle. Our dream has finally become a reality._

_Our caf is finally opening today. _

_Sunlight enters through the glass window beside me and I lean towards it to warm my face in its golden glow. I like all the yellow around me. The caf, the sunlight. It makes me happy. I see my mother walk to the door and flip the signboard to "Open". _

_She winks at me and I jump off the counter, taking my place behind the glass display cabinets that are now full of sweet delicacies, cakes and pastries that my mother baked in the caf's kitchen._

_I breathe in the sweet smell of chocolate and freshly brewed coffee that lingers in the air and smile. I love the smell of freshly baked cakes, especially if they are chocolate ones. I love the smell of coffee even though my mother doesn't let me drink it yet. She says I can have it when I am grown up. Although, sometimes when I do extremely well in school, she bakes me her special coffee chocolate cake. She tells me, it's my special cake. Something that she bakes just for me._

_The tiny brass bell above the door rings and I look up from behind the counter. My eyes barely reach up to the height of the counter and I jump to have a peep at our first customer. I see a tall lady dressed in a maroon simple dress step in through the door, dragging in a boy about my age behind her. One of her hands is busy holding a phone to her ear, the other holding the hand of the boy. I squint at the boy who is busy looking around our little caf, a ball in his hand. The colour of his t-shirt is the first thing that catches my eye. Yellow. _

_Unknowingly, he is wearing my favourite colour and it makes me smile. His hair is so messed up, I wonder if he ever brushed it._

_He looks at me as I jump constantly behind the counter, to steal glances at him. _

_The lady places an order at the counter and I see my mother get busy with the coffee machine, her skilful hands operating the several buttons on the machine. _

_"Butterfly," my mother calls out to me, "You want to hand over a chocolate muffin to this lady?"_

_I smile, feeling privileged at being asked to serve an order. It is just me and my mother at the shop. She said, someday when we have enough money saved up, we might get more staff! The thought of it makes me feel excited._

_As I put the muffin on a little white plate, the boy comes over and holds out his hand for it. _

_I am looking around for a paper napkin, when I hear him say, "Hi, butterfly!"_

_He has no right to call me by that name._

_I frown at him as I put the plate on the counter, and say, "My mom only calls me by that name."_

_"Lucas? Come sit here." I hear his mother call out behind him, one hand still holding the phone._

_"You should go, Lucccas!" I say his name in a sing-song voice._

_He grins at me and says, "So what's your real name, butterfly?"_

_I groan, stomp my foot and say, "Stop calling me that! My name is Maya. M-a-y-a." I even spell it out for him._

_He munches on his chocolate muffin and says, "So you know how to spell your name. Big deal."_

_I am fuming at him when I see my mother laughing at us from the cash counter. I glare at my mother and say, "Mommy, this boy is bothering me."_

_My mother laughs and says, "Honey, be nice. He is our first guest."_

_The boy raises his brows at me as he licks his fingers smudged with chocolate. I cross my arms and move away from him, throwing him glares from the corner or my eye. He looks as if he has just won a battle and I want to punch his silly face._

_Before they leave, the boy turns around and says to his mother, "Mama, I want to ring that bell."_

_I see his mother glance at him annoyingly before shaking her head and walking out of the door. The bell jingles as she exits and I see her getting into a posh white car that is parked right outside our caf. The boy looks so subdued, I almost feel sorry for him._

_And then to my annoyance, my mother walks over to him and lifts him into her arms._

_"Now you can ring it, kiddo," she says._

_The boy smiles and reaches out towards the bell._

_When she puts him down he says excitedly, "Thank you. Can I come again?"_

_My mother bends down to face him and says, "Of course my love. Whenever you want."_

_"And I can ring the bell anytime?"_

_"Every time." My mother smiles._

_I see the boy quickly hug my mother before running out of the door._

_Before he gets into the posh white car, I see him glance at me and imitate a butterfly._

_I never want to meet him again._

_**Present day**_

"Maya? Let's go?"

Riley's loud voice brings me back to the present. The wind is howling through the gaps in the shop. I suddenly shiver, once again feeling my mother's absence around me. I grab the keys of the shop and follow Riley out of the door. I try to shut out the sweet jingle of the bell as I exit the caf, but it sounds even more pronounced. Maybe because the memories of that day are still so fresh in my mind. As if it all happened yesterday.

"Maya, I'm in bit of a hurry. You're okay, right?" I hear her say.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just one more week. Then I'll close the caf for good."

"Just think over it one more time."  
>"I've thought about it enough, Riley."<p>

I force a smile as I see her concerned face. "This wasn't just my dream."

She pulls me into a hug and says, "Fine. call me when you get home ok?"

I nod and watch her leave.

The skies are heavy with clouds that glow amber in the dark night. Perhaps, a storm is on its way. I slip my keys into my bag and start walking through the streets towards my flat. The wind swirls dry leaves and bits of stray papers around me, forming little twisters by my side. Nothing feels right anymore. My life has become like one of these twisters; the bits and pieces crumbling away and swirling around me. Like his memories.

My mother was taken away from me. But he wasn't. He left willingly. He detached himself from me like I had never been a part of his life. As if, I had just been an unpleasant memory he wanted to free himself of. I don't know what went wrong. I don't know why he doesn't come to the caf anymore. I don't know why he ignores me as if I am invisible. I don't know why he hasn't spoken to me since my mother's demise.

He left me when I needed him the most. It has been six years now and yet, I miss him every single moment. His absence has created a void in me. A hollow, empty space that no one can ever fill.

The thunder rumbles overhead and I feel the first drop of rain on my nose. Cool and calming, like my mother's smile. There is a sudden flash of lightening again, followed by the loud rumbling of thunder. More drops fall around me. Faster, heavier. My hair starts to get wet and I feel my white shirt beginning to cling to my skin. There is no hurry to get home. There will be no one waiting. I pause in the middle of the street and watch the people running helter-skelter across the streets, running for shelter.

And then it hits me. The reality of it all.

I am closing the caf.

I feel the first tear lurk around the corner of my eye before rolling down my cheek, mingling with the raindrops that roll down my face. I know the rain disguises my tears. And so, I cry.

I cry because I let down my mother. I let down the dream of her caf. I am closing down the caf that was once so dear to her. It was our world. Our own little world of dreams.

And I cry because I lost him. The only other person I loved in this world.

I cry because I suddenly feel so alone.

"You're not alone." My heart stops as I hear his familiar deep voice behind me. I close my eyes, forcing myself not to look at him for the fear that his voice might be an illusion.

I haven't heard his voice in so long that I want to shut out the world, drown out all the sounds in it so that I can just hear one sound - his voice. His soothing voice that always had the power to make me feel secure and happy. I have missed him so much. I hastily brush away the tears from my face and start walking. I see a flash of lightening again and what he says next is drowned by the sound of the thunder that follows.

"Butterfly." I cringe when he utters that name. His voice is full of pain and I know, his pain reflects the pain I feel inside me. I don't face him. I know I will break down in his arms if I do so. I cannot face him even though I want to. I don't want him to see me weaken.

"I don't want to talk to you." I say, my voice trembling.

The tears don't stop and I feel thankful for the rain around me.

I feel his hand on my shoulder, and I recoil from his touch. His touch weakens me further and I hold on to the wall for support. He doesn't let go, but tightens his grip on my shoulder.

"Why are you doing this?" His voice is now angry.

I feel the anger rising in me now. My tears have suddenly stopped and I face him for the first time.


	3. Chapter 2: The Special Cake

_**(1) - ACP = Assistant Commissioner of Police; basically a high-ranking police officer. **_

**I've managed to find more time on my hands than usual, and so here is another update! Just to answer guest question:**

**What does caf mean? **

_**yes, caf is short for cafe, as in coffee shop. **_

**Enjoy reading the chapter!**

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><p><em><strong>Maya POV <strong>_

I feel myself weaken as soon as I meet his dark, intense eyes. His hair is drenched with the heavy rain that pours around us. His white shirt appears translucent in the rain, sticking to his skin. I realize his hand is still resting on my shoulder and I shrug it away. I try to compose myself as I lower my eyes. I do not want to break down, I repeat to myself.

The rain is coming down hard and fast. I can hear its pattering sound all around me. I can smell the sweet fragrance of wet dirt as it hits the dry pavement around me.

"Why do you care? And why after all these years?" I feel the tears escape me before I even realise what's happening. "You left me didn't you, Lucas? Then why now? You have no right to just come into my life whenever you want, and leave as you please. What do you want? Because I have nothing left to give you." I am trembling with anger and hurt.

I see him reach out for me but I shrug his hand away and turn around. My feet feel heavy as I start walking again.

"You can't shut down the cafe." He shouts at me.

I pause, feeling the anger rise inside me once more.

"What do you care? Ever since Mommy left, did you even come once? Forget coming, you didn't even bother _talking_ to me. When I needed you the most, that was the time you weren't there. And now you've come to ask me why I'm shutting down the cafe?" I am shouting now, my body shaking with rage. But I don't care. I don't care that people are beginning to stare at us as they pass. I don't care about the falling rain. I don't care about anything.

"You can't crush Maa's dream like this." I flinch as he utters that name. Maa. It is what he used to call my mother.

_**New York 1999**_

_"Hey Butterfly!"_

_I freeze at the spot when I hear that annoying voice behind me again. I groan to myself, hugging my books to my chest, pretending not to have heard him and keep on walking. I hear his approaching footsteps behind me and I quicken my pace. I really don't want to talk to him anymore. It is the last week of my summer holidays and I don't want to spend my precious summer morning with a boy who does nothing but annoy me._

_He came again to the cafe last week, when I happened to be in the shop, helping out my mother. To my annoyance, he rang the bell again, thanks to my mother who seems to love him. I have begun to hate the sweet jingle of the bell above the door._

_He must have been running quite fast, because the next thing I know he is jogging by my side, that idiotic grin on his face. _

_I so want to wipe that grin off his face._

_"Hey butterfly!"_

_"My name is Maya!" I shout at him._

_"For me you're Butterfly. Where ya going?"_

_"What's it to you?" I keep on walking, faster and faster. Yet he never fails to catch up._

_"C'mon, say it!"_

_"I was going to the park."_

_"Your mom didn't come?"_

_"She's busy with the cafe"_

_"Oh! Okay I'll come too."_

_I groan and stop in the middle of the pavement. "Why? Don't you have anything better to do?"_

_"No." He suddenly reaches out for my books and before I know it, my favourite book lies in his hands._

_"You're reading this?" He starts laughing and I have a sudden urge to punch him in the face. I reach out for my book but he keeps it out of my reach, shooting it high up in the air._

_"Give me back my book!" I shout._

_"Nope." He laughs even louder and then takes off running towards the cafe._

_"Get back here you idiot!" I shout and break off into a run._

_I feel the sunshine warming me up as I run through the tide of people on the busy streets. I try to keep track of him within the scores of tall people. It isn't hard to spot him amongst the crowd. His mass of unruly light brown hair stands out, bouncing as he skips along the streets, my book raised high up in the air._

_To my annoyance, he pauses at a distance and calls out to me, "Catch me if you can, butterfly! Let's see how fast you can fly!"_

_I hate him._

_I chase him through the streets until I see the familiar sign of our cafe right ahead. He makes a face at me one last time before disappearing behind the bright yellow doors of The Yellow Caf. I pause for a minute on the street, trying to catch my breath. He is not getting away with this. It is my book. This was supposed to be my morning and it isn't mine anymore. And I hate him for it._

_"You do get tired very easy." I hear his distant voice mocking at me from behind the door._

_"I hate you!" I shout and start running again; through the doors and into the caf._

_I hear his squeals of laughter and his teasing voice as he runs around the yellow tables and chairs, waving my book in the air._

_The caf is empty; there is still some time left for the opening. I see my mother's dumbfounded expression as she suddenly comes out of the kitchen door and spots the crazy boy running around the caf. _

_"Lucas!" She laughs._

_He stops now at the far end of the caf, the sun lighting up his face and smiles back at her. I glance at my mother and see her beaming at him as if he were the best thing that happened to this world._

_"Mommy!" I shout at her, trying to get her attention._

_She looks at me in surprise as though she hadn't even noticed me standing in the corner. Then she smiles and says, "Butterfly, you didn't go to the park?"_

_I point at Lucas and say, "He isn't giving me back my book!"_

_She laughs and beckons him to come closer to her. And of course, he listens to her. He always does._

_She bends down to face him and holds him gently by his shoulders, which instantly returns that grin on his face._

_"Why are you bothering my butterfly?" She asks in a teasing voice._

_He just shrugs his shoulders and says, "That's what friends are for, right?"_

_My mother laughs again and says to him, "You have a point. Okay, c'mon return her book and patch up with her."_

_He holds out the book towards me, a smile on his face and says, "Sorry, butterfly. I was just having some fun."_

_I purse my lips and snatch my book from his hands. He then hugs my mother and starts walking towards the door, a little skip in his step._

_Just when I think he is about to leave, he turns around and looks up expectantly at my mother. "Can I help you?"_

_I groan and mumble to myself, secretly wishing that my mother says no. I hate all the attention she is giving him and I feel sudden pangs of jealousy inside me. _

_But to my annoyance, she says with a smile, "Of course, my love."_

_I watch in anger as he follows her into the kitchen, holding on to her pale blue scarf._

_And before I can say anything, I hear sounds of their happy banter and baking trays being pulled out from within the kitchen. I do not go in of course. I am too angry and frustrated. So I perch myself atop the wooden counter and try to bury myself in my favourite book._

_But of course, I keep reading the same page over and over. Not a single word makes sense. My mind lies in the kitchen, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation as they bake for the day._

_I smile as the familiar smell of coffee and chocolate drifts through the open kitchen door. The smell makes me forget my anger and despite myself, I jump down to the floor and make my way towards the kitchen. The sounds of giggles and hushed voices reach me as soon as I enter through the door and my eyes fall upon them huddled at the corner, their backs facing me. From where I stand, I can see the side of his face smeared in chocolate. His flour-covered hands seemed to be busy decorating a cake I couldn't see._

_Perhaps they heard me come through, because the next minute they turn around to catch me staring at them._

_He smiles at me, and this time it is a friendly one. The one that is apologetic, so that you instantly feel guilty for having been angry at him a moment ago. _

_"Hi butterfly. Jack has a surprise for you." My mother beams at me and gives him a slight shove._

_I see him blush a little and I almost burst out laughing. And then he reaches behind him and reveals the cake for the first time. _

_My face breaks into a smile as I see the tiny coffee chocolate muffin untidily iced with chocolate buttercream, little white and yellow wafer butterflies dancing on its uneven coating. He then brings it forward on a little white plate towards me and I feel my anger dissipating within seconds. _

_"What's this?" I ask, unable to hide my smile any longer._

_"It's your favourite right? I made it, for you."_

_I grin, and say, "Why?"_

_"Just cause. Friends?" He offers me his flour-covered hand, his other hand still holding out the plate towards me._

_My smile deepens into a grin and I put my hand into his. _

_I don't know why it feels as if my friendship with him would last a lifetime._

_"Alrighty kiddos. I have to get to work, ok?" My mother brushes her hands and starts carrying out trays of her freshly baked cakes._

_Before she exits out the kitchen door, I hear him ask her in a meek voice, "Um, can I call you Maa?"_

_I see my mother freeze at the door for a moment near the door._

_ Then she turns around and I see a little tear glistening in her eyes as she smiles and says, "Of course, my ACP**(1)** Lucas."_

_**Present day**_

I still remember his face when my mother had uttered those words. His beaming face that was bursting with pride, happiness and love, all at the same time. I knew then that I wouldn't ever be able to forget that face.

Perhaps, I should have been mad that he started calling her maa since that moment. And to her, he was her ACP Lucas. I heard from her later that he had talked about his desire to be a police officer when he grew up. That he had promised he would always protect her and her little butterfly.

I had thought it strange then, a weird boy promising to protect us when he had only known us for a few days. But then, something told me he wasn't a boy who would break his promise.

"Butterfly?"

His voice suddenly snaps me back into the present. The pitter-patter of the rain. The lightning. And his face in the lightning. The weight of all those memories makes me weak and I back against the wall, searching for support. I see him seething with anger as he closes the distance between us.

Closer and closer, until I can feel his warm breath against my face. I feel my breath stop as I feel him so close to me, his body quivering with rage. "You know how important this cafe was to Maa. And it was your dream too. Then what happened? Why now?"

"Because I am tired, Lucas!" I shout out, unable to hold it in any longer. "I am tired of doing it on my own. I don't want to do it on my own anymore. I'm all alone Lucas. Mommy isn't with me anymore. This wasn't just my dream. It was _ours_. It's all over Lucas. There's nothing left. It's just...emptiness."

"No, it's not!" He grips my shoulders so tight that it hurts. But somehow, I don't want him to let go. I want him to hold on to me. I want to feel his arms around me once more. His strong arms holding me close to himself. I hear his voice becoming softer as he speaks, "I cannot see you break down like this. I'm still with you. Always was, and always will be."

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><p><em>LUCAS POV<em>

I cannot see her like this. I cannot even be with her. We can't be together anymore. Not since that day.

I shouldn't have left her. But I had to.

I couldn't face her after that day. She doesn't know. She cannot know. And every time I look at her, I am reminded of what I did. I don't deserve to be with her. For I am only capable of one thing. Hurt. And I don't want to hurt her anymore.

And yet, I am here standing by her side.

Because I cannot bear to see her break down like this; like a piece of glass that has been hit with a rock so large that it shatters upon contact. She isn't a piece of glass. She is stronger than that. Perhaps, she just needs that bit of strength, that belief that she isn't alone. She never will be.

For I will be with her forever, even if I am not by her side.

I can never let go of her.  
>She finally looks up at me, her eyes red and swollen with tears that she had been waiting too long to come out. Her eyes question me and I lower my gaze.<p>

I cannot answer her questions now.

And perhaps, not ever.

But she needs me now.

There is a sudden flash of lightning and I see her broken form light up, her face pale and colourless, and her eyes lacking the familiar twinkle. Wet strands of her hair hugs around her face and I feel a sudden urge to brush them away from her face.

For a moment, we say nothing, just stand there in the rain looking into each other's eyes. They have stopped asking me questions. Perhaps, she doesn't care about the answers anymore.

I gently touch her shoulder and feel her flinch against my touch. The next thing I know, she is sobbing in my arms, her fingers digging deep into my shoulders.

I feel myself relaxing as she finally lets the tears out. I hold on to her in the rain as she cries her heart out. I don't say anything, just caress her wet hair, holding her close to myself.

I have missed her.

A silent tear rolls down my cheeks as I realize I cannot hold her like this forever. She doesn't belong with me. Someday, I will have to let her go. But then, she will be strong. She will be her own mischievous little self that she once was when I met her.


	4. Ch 3: The Paint that Reeks of Memories

**Heylooo**

**Sorry agaiinnn..this got delayed hehe.**

**So so, I know the questions are still biting at you, and they will be answered but as the story proceeds**

**Here is the next chapter (yeah I know you will say that it's not a very long update, but I am going on a holiday on Friday and hence I had to update before I leave)**

**Read onnn :)**

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><p><span>Chapter 3: The Paint that Reeks of Memories<br>

_**Lucas: (POV)  
><strong>_

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><p>I wait outside her door as she rummages in her bag for her keys. I am entering her apartment after so many years, it almost feels alien. Her tears have dried up, but she hasn't spoken a word since we met on the pavement. She hasn't asked me any questions. I see her hands shaking as she tries to look for the key.<p>

Despite myself, I hold her hand to stop it from trembling. She breathes in sharply at my touch and says abruptly, "Let go. I can do it."

I try to hide my smile as I see her hands stop trembling and locate her keys.

She opens the door and I almost want to close my eyes. I cannot imagine the apartment without maa. It seems too surreal. I almost expect her to stride into the living room from the kitchen door off the right, a heart-warming smile on her face. The thunder continues to rumble outside. The sky sheds its tears and so does the walls of this place.

It doesn't feel the same.

It has lost its soul.

Butterfly isn't the same anymore.

I am not the same anymore.

Maa isn't here.

Will things ever be the same again? I wonder.

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><p>I step inside and feel a sudden hollowness inside my heart. The flat is dark and yet she doesn't switch the light on. The only light that creeps into the room is the neon glow from the streetlights outside.<p>

A sudden flash of lightning illuminates the room with a haunting white light and my eyes fall upon the multi-coloured walls of the living room. I absently brush my fingers against the unevenly painted surface of the walls. Suddenly I am not myself anymore.

I am seven years old again, running along the footpath, calling out her name.

Maa.

* * *

><p><em><strong>New York 1999<strong>_

_"Maa!"_

_I run on the pavement, a kite in my hand that brushes along the pavement as I run._

_I can see her at a distance, lost and yet not so lost within the crowd. I have only known her for a few days and yet I know I can recognise her anywhere. My new friend, Butterfly. I see her walking alongside maa, dressed in a bright blue dress, her little arms bending with the weight of a closed white bucket she carries. _

_They don't hear me and I shout again, "Maa!"_

_This time, maa turns back and I start running faster through the crowd, eager to run into her arms. She isn't my mother and yet she understands me better than my own mother. She opens her arms and I run straight into them, hugging her as if I were meeting her after years. _

_She bends down, smiling and says, "Why sir ACP, where are we off to?"_

_I show her my kite and say, "I was going to fly a kite."_

_My eyes fall upon Butterfly whose nose is scrunched up as if I were a fly buzzing around her head. She looks away when I grin at her and I say, "Hi Butterfly!"_

_"Don't you have anything better to do? You're always following us." She still doesn't look at me so I walk over to her to face her._

_Her fingers are red from carrying the heavy white bucket and I ask, "Is it heavy? What's in it?"_

_"What's it to you?" She turns away and starts walking._

_Maa laughs as she stands by my side and says to me, "We're off to paint our apartment, sir ACP. Want to come with?"_

_Butterfly turns around and glares at maa who just laughs again. I can see that she is jealous. I love annoying her, so I smirk at her and say, "Of course!"_

_"Welcome ACP Lucas." Maa opens the big wooden doors of their apartment and ushers me inside. Butterfly has already stepped inside with her bucket of paint after shooting a jealous glare at me._

_I step inside the apartment and look around._

_White walls surround me all around. The door opposite opens into a small balcony that looks over the streets outside. Sunlight streams in through the open windows around the room. White curtains flutter in the breeze, trying to escape outside into the open skies. All the furniture has been covered with white sheets and the entire room looks hauntingly white. Colourless._

_"It's too white." I say._

_"Of course it is. That's because we want to splatter our imagination on to the walls." She smiles, bends down to the floor where she has gathered all the paint buckets and starts to open them, one by one._

_Butterfly stands beside her, her face now flushed with excitement._

_I edge closer to them, keen to help and start opening one of the unopened buckets._

_"You know how to...?" Butterfly looks at me questioningly; her eyes are wide open with surprise._

_"What?"_

_"Open it." She asks meekly. Her face has lost all signs of jealousy._

_I smile at her and say, "Yes. Ya wanna learn?"_

_She nods timidly and I hear maa exclaim, "Oh my, it's a miracle. You're going to learn from Lucas?"_

_"Mommy!" She pouts and settles down by my side. _

_I grin when she nudges me to show her how to open the bucket._

_"Lemonade!" Maa bursts in through the kitchen door that opens on the right of the balcony._

_We have opened about six buckets of paint; each is a different colour. I wonder what they were thinking when they bought the paint. It makes me happy as I look at their gleaming surfaces, each a bright shade of colour. Yellow, green, blue, red, pink, mauve, orange. Butterfly sits by my side, her fingers smudged with the blobs of paint that ended up on her fingers when she tried opening a few buckets on her own._

_Maa hands me the cool glass of lemonade and I sip it, savouring its cool sweet taste upon my tongue. I close my eyes and feel the cool summer breeze blowing into the room on my face and the sweet, tangy taste of lemonade on my tongue. _

_Butterfly giggles by my side as Maa waves her lemonade glass out of her reach. This way and that, until it finally ends up in her hands._

_I smile, trying to make a memory of this moment._

_Butterfly's laugh, Maa's lemonade and the cool summer breeze._

* * *

><p><em>This is what a mother's love feels like, I think to myself. Maa looks at me then, a smile lighting up her face and beckons me to come towards her.<em>

_And then, she envelops me and Butterfly into a warm hug._

_We are standing in front of the white wall, our hands on hips. The three of us, side by side. Maa, Butterfly and I._

_Maa turns to us and asks, "What colour?"_

_We don't look at each other. Our eyes move to the buckets of paints placed in front of us. So many colours, so many choices. And one wall._

_"This is so..." Butterfly says._

_"Difficult." I complete her sentence._

_We look at each other and smile._

_"So many colours..." She starts again._

_"And just one wall." _

_We smile again._

* * *

><p><em>"You know what?" Maa looks at us, her eyes holding a mischievous look.<em>

_"What?" We both ask._

_"Let's pick up a bucket and splatter the paint on the wall."_

_"What?" We exclaim together again._

_Butterfly giggles by my side and says, "Really Mommy?"_

_"Weely!" Maa laughs and ties a bandanna around her head._

_I grin at both of them and ask, "How?"_

_Maa walks around and starts to push all the furniture as far away from the walls as possible._

_When she is done, she looks at us, her eyes sparkling like the rainbow and says, "Like this."_

_We stare in surprise as she picks up a bucket of yellow paint and splatters it on the wall. The paint spreads itself over a part of the wall and drips down to the newspaper-covered floors below. The room doesn't seem so white all of a sudden. _

_Butterfly bursts into giggles and tries to lift another bucket of paint. But the paint bucket is too heavy for her and she struggles to splatter it on the wall like her mother._

_And so, I walk over._

_As she tries to lift it again, I support her little hands and together we throw the first splash of paint on the wall. Orange._

_We smile at each other as the orange slowly mixes with the yellow and drips down to the newspaper floors. _

_That was only the beginning._

_And then, havoc starts._

_We run around the living room, throwing buckets and buckets of paint. Wherever we please and whatever colour we please. The wall was ours. The imagination was ours. The wish was ours. _

_The white walls slowly start fading as all sorts of colours blend with each other on its surface. It is like a blank canvas. And the colours are like different memories painted on the walls. _

_Yellow is the memory of Butterfly's laugh as we splatter the pink with the yellow and orange. Orange is the memory of our squeals as maa chases us around the room with an orange paint-covered paintbrush. _

_Mauve is the memory of our wicked grins as we sneak up on maa and splatter her white shirt with paint._

_Blue is the memory of us three standing by the blots of sky blue paint on the balcony door, staring up at the sky. _

_Pink is the memory of Butterfly's flushed face as we run around the room, splattering each other with paint. _

_Green is the memory of our satisfaction as we sit cross-legged on the floor, staring at our hard work._

_**Present day**_

They are only colours and yet, each colour links back to a special moment I shared within these four walls. The paint isn't fresh anymore. And yet, it reeks of memories. Her laugh is hidden somewhere behind these layers of paint. I just have to peel off the paint from the walls.

Sounds of water boiling reaches my ears and I snap back into reality. I know that she is making my cup of apple cider.

The walls stare back at me and it hurts just to look at its dim surface. At that moment, I am glad of the darkness that surrounds me. I ignore the walls and make my way into the kitchen.

The kitchen. The endless conversations I once held with maa on the kitchen counter echo through the dark kitchen. It is haunting, standing here where she once stood. I suppress the memories that rise towards me like waves, trying their best to drown me in the past.

She hands me my cup before I can utter a word.

"What do you want Lucas?" She asks, her gaze lowered.

"Your smile."

She looks up abruptly and says, "That's not coming back. It's lost."

She reaches for her cup of coffee and exits out of the kitchen.

"It's not," I call out to her. "Your smile is right here. In these walls."

She pauses for a moment and continues to walk closer to the window.

* * *

><p>I see her silhouette against the amber glow of the skies as she stands near the window. The white curtains flutter wildly in the monsoon breeze.<p>

I edge closer to her and wrap my arms around her. Her body feels limp and lifeless in my arms and I feel my heart shrinking in fear.

Where is my Butterfly?

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, sorry if I made you cry! I hope I didn't! But if I did, then I should tell you that this was the last sademotional update for now**

**Please do leave your comments!**


	5. Chapter 4: Bringing You Back

**Heylooo alll :)  
><strong>

**I know I have been very bad with my thank yous! Can't help it so many things keep popping up that I keep missing them but but you do know how much your comments mean to me right? Thanks a lot again for loving my story even though it seems like we aren't getting laya anytime soon in the show (really miss the laya moments today dunno why). It means a lot to me :)  
><strong>

**So coming to the update...reaaad on ! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Bringing You Back<strong>

**MAYA (POV)  
><strong>

I hear clinking noises coming from the kitchen and I snap back into the present. I was lost in a world I wasn't aware of having stepped into. The sky is red outside and I see lightning flashing now and then followed by sounds of the rumbling thunder. I touch the white curtain which flutters aimlessly beside me and feel the damp fabric on my fingers. There is that clinking noise again and I search around for signs of Lucas. He was here, wasn't he? Or was I dreaming all this time? The room is still dark and haunting. I don't really care about the light anymore. I walk around towards the kitchen and the sounds get louder.

When I enter, I can make out his faint outline in the dark; it seems as if he is looking for something. I wonder why he hasn't turned on the light. Lightning flashes again and the kitchen is flooded with the haunting white light.

He doesn't look around when I appear at the doorway. He knows I am here and yet, he doesn't turn around.

"What are you doing?" I ask, unable to contain my curiosity.

He opens another cupboard and buries his face inside it. I wonder how he can see in the dark. "Man, can't you keep anything in its rightful place?" His muffled voice comes from the depths of the cupboard.

"What?"

He turns around now and says, "Where's that yellow mixing bowl you got?"

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what'? Yellow mixing bowl?"

I do not use it anymore. I have stopped baking in the house. It brings back too many memories which do nothing but hurt me.

I turn my face away from him and say, "I haven't baked in a while, Lucas."

"So what? Yellow bowl should still be here right?"

I nod and point to the cupboard above the oven, "Over there."

I stand there and watch him pull out the bowl and a few measuring spoons. It annoys me a little that he ignores me completely as he walks up and down my kitchen in my apartment.

"Lucas?"

"Yep?"

"What are you doing?"

He ignores me again and walks out into the living room. The lights are still off. The darkness feels good, comforting, in a strange sort of a way. Or maybe, it is his presence in the empty house that comforts me more. Just the fact that I am not entirely alone anymore. I am too tired to ask him questions as to why he left.

As I stare at him making his own way around my living room, I am just glad about the fact that he is back. I don't know if he will leave me again. But even a temporary freedom from loneliness feels good.

I watch him reach into the cupboards of the display cabinet and pull out the thick white candles that my mother used to save for special occasions. He lights one in the living room and light instantly rushes to every corner of the dark room, creating haunting shadows here and there. The monsoon breeze blows into the room and the candle flickers a little.

He takes the other candle and lights it in the kitchen. There is light now. Not too much. Just the right amount. A little smile creeps up on my lips as I realize that even after these six years, he is able to read my mind.

He then goes on to switch on the radio in the living room. Music fills the room. Soft, light music that makes me close my eyes as I lean against the kitchen door.

He steps back into the kitchen and pulls out the yellow chair that I used to sit on when my mother baked. He hums to the music and signals me to sit on the chair.

"Why are you doing all this?" I ask.

"What? Bake?"

"Yeah...and this...music...candles. It doesn't feel right." It does.

He glances at his side and speaks, as if to an invisible person standing beside him, "See that, Maa. For one, I'm trying to impress your daughter, and she's asking me _why_."

"Impress?"

"You ask a lot of questions, woman." He gently guides me to the chair and makes me sit down on it.

I lean back in my chair and watch him as he moves around the kitchen, pulling out cake ingredients from the shelves. It feels comforting just to watch him. It doesn't feel alone as I sit there, listening to the faint rumbling of thunder that is drowned out by the music. I watch the candle light throw dancing shadows on the wall. I watch him bake and hum to himself.

It is the moment when I suddenly feel my mother around me again; her love, her laughter and her soothing voice. It feels as if she is right here, looking at me and him. Looking at us. Telling me that everything will be alright. Because he is back, and he wouldn't leave me anymore.

I want to believe.

* * *

><p><strong>LUCAS (POV)<strong>

I try to make as much noise as possible. I want to drown out her silence. I know she won't be back to her own self so soon. But I do know that if there is one thing that could bring her back, it is baking. And perhaps, a little bit of me.

I try to ignore the warning bells that go off in my head every minute. It is difficult to block out my feelings for her. But I cannot put her through any more pain. So I ignore them.

I take the bag of flour and play around with it on purpose. Flour dust flies around me like puffs of smoke and settles down on the black kitchen counter.

"Lucas?" I grin as I hear her voice behind me.

"Hmm?" I don't turn around.

"You're dirtying the kitchen." Her voice has a hint of irritation in it, which is just the reaction I wanted. So I play with it a little more.

"Lucas?" Her voice gets louder and I hear her get up from her chair.

I take a handful of flour in my hand and blow it in the air. I turn around and see the white flour surround us in a white bubble and then settle down all over the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Irritated voice. I grin wider and take another handful.

This time, I aim it at her and blow, ever so gently.

She tries to duck the puff of white, but doesn't succeed and the flour settles down in her hair, leaving it white.

"Dumb Butterfly!" I laugh at her annoyed expression and take another handful.  
>"Don't you dare do that again!" She points a finger at me and comes closer.<p>

"Or else what?"

"The consequences will not be good!"

"Ya threatening me? I'm still young! You're the one with the white hairs." I laugh again.

She reaches for the flour bag before I can blow another handful at her and says, "You started it." She dips her fingers into the bag of flour and empties her fistful on my head.

"Hey! Why ya little butterfly.., You're a goner now." I snatch the flour bag from her and reach for another handful of flour.

She squeals and runs out of the kitchen.

I smile to myself as I follow her out of the kitchen and into the living room.

If I wasn't wrong, there was a glimpse of a smile on her face.

* * *

><p><em><strong>MAYA (POV)<br>**_

He chases me around the sofas and chairs, the flour bag in his hand. It appears as if it is snowing inside the flat. A snowfall of flour dust. I forget everything as I run around the room as if I am back to my childhood. I feel like a little girl jumping over the sofas, trying to duck his little puffs of white in the air. Our hair turns white, my clothes are covered with flour and the furniture around us, slowly gets sprinkled with white.

I squeal, I shout and I run.

But he catches up with me. He holds me captive in his arms and sprinkles flour over my hair whilst shouting that he won.

That's when I laugh.

I forget what had happened the last six years. I forget that my mother isn't around anymore. For that moment, I only remember one thing.

I am Butterfly, not Maya, and my best friend is with me.

And I laugh.

* * *

><p>"Let go, you can't do it." I snatch the mixing bowl from him.<p>

"You don't know it, I'm a world-renowned pastry chef!" He snatches it back.

Another tug and the mixing bowl is in my hands again. "If I leave you alone in the kitchen, I'll have to call the fire department."

"Oh please!" He grins and dips his fingers into the cake batter. "Mmm."

"Lucas!"

I try to supress my smile as I see him close his eyes and continue to lick his fingers. He pauses licking, puts on a confused expression and turns towards me, "There's something missing, right?"

I frown and despite myself, I dip my own fingers into the bowl and taste the batter. The bittersweet taste of chocolate, coffee, butter, raw eggs and flour lingers on my tongue and it almost tastes like childhood. I cannot help but dip my fingers in again for a second taste.

I wasn't the one making the cake. I was merely stirring. Somehow, he had managed to make the batter exactly how my mother used to make it. I close my eyes and savour the taste on my tongue. I felt like a child again, licking the cake batter off my mother's yellow bowl that she always used for baking my special coffee chocolate cakes.

I feel his gentle touch on my shoulder and I open my eyes to look into his eyes once more. His soft and understanding eyes glitter in the candlelight. I hear the rain pattering against the window panes, the fluttering of the curtains and the soft music coming from the living room. I taste my mother's coffee chocolate cake on my lips.

Everything seems better suddenly and I smile.

He breathes out and smiles back at me. "What?"

I lean back against the kitchen counter, smiling, and say, "Nothing. It's perfect."

He looks at me from the corner of his eye, a smile playing on his lips, takes the mixing spoon from me and says, "Yeah. Now it's perfect."

* * *

><p>The cake is in the oven. I kneel beside its glass door and watch it rise. The smell of coffee and chocolate escapes through the gaps in the glass door and I breathe in. I glance at Lucas, leaning against the wall opposite, his gaze fixed on me and a smile frozen on his face. It feels comforting to sit in the glow of the candles and the oven light, the shadows dancing around the kitchen walls.<p>

He suddenly moves from his place near the wall and walks out of the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" I shout out.

I hear the balcony door being opened and I make my way out of the kitchen. The moist wind escapes into the room and the candles flicker wildly in the sudden gusts of wind. I watch him in surprise as he opens one window after the other. He walks into the bedrooms and I hear the windows being opened, one by one.

The candle flames die out in the wind that blows across the room, from all directions. The room is enveloped in darkness once more. But it isn't completely dark. Light from the amber sky and the golden streetlights flood into the room. The pattering rain escapes into the dark room, spraying itself all across the floor and the furniture. The rainy spray feels cool on my face and I walk closer towards the balcony door.

When he comes back into the room, I ask, "What are you doing?"

He doesn't reply, but comes closer to me, his wet shirt clinging to his skin. When he is next to me, he slips an arm around my shoulders and says, "Opening the windows that you have kept shut for too long."

"There was no reason to..."

"There is now." He smiles at me as the rain sprays its cool droplets all over us.

"What if they are slammed shut again?"

"I won't let them be. There will be no more darkness."

He pulls me closer to him and I smile. I believe him.

* * *

><p><strong>So so how was it? Yeah I know, no flashbacks in this one...but there will be one in the next one ;)<br>**

**Please don't forget to leave your comments hehe. xx**


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